Pleiad

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He gave years of his life to the lander. Sacrificed, toiled, dreamt of it at night. He knew it better than he knew his children. It had caused him more heartache and more hope.

Pleiad ended up scattered across the surface of Mars. So they tell him, at least. They never found out exactly what happened; they lost telemetry too early to be sure. Perhaps the radio transmitter failed, and it landed after all, safe but forever silent. It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care about the inquiry, or the placing of blame.

Other men have succeeded. Tom Kelly is gone now, but the descent stages he built will stand on the Moon forever. Voyager’s signal is weak, but it still beams back from beyond the heliopause. Spirit and Opportunity will die one day, but they have made their mark on Martian soil.

He does not care. He will never know where his lander came to rest.

I had a star in heavenOne “Pleiad” was its name—And when I was not heedingIt wandered from the sameAnd tho’ the skies are crowded—And all the night ashine—I do not care about it—Since none of them are mine--Emily Dickinson

I came across this quite by accident. This is truly lovely and I have tears in my eyes as I write this comment. You have encompassed so much in so few words. That appalling sense of loss, of heartache and emptiness. Beautifully done. Thankyou.

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Thank you so much for commenting. I wasn't at all sure whether to post this little story, as it's not what one might call traditionally "fannish," but it is so satisfying to know that one person has been moved by it. :)

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I'm not sure what this is about--if it's about a real person or a metaphorical one--but I don't think that even matters. It is sweet and haunting.

I always cry when I watch the end of the "Spider" episode in "From the Earth to the Moon", when he has to say goodbye to the LEM that he's worked so hard to build. I think that must be something similar.